Cyrus POV
Being forced to rest and get some sleep didn't go quite how I would have liked. One of the side effects of absorbing Adam's core had a delayed reaction during my attempted slumber. My dream was suddenly flooded with bits and pieces of his memories. Some of them I couldn't quite make sense of, but others I couldn't deny. I saw the times he spent with my father in school and some of the perilous adventures and battles they went through together. In some of those memories, I saw a different side of Adam—one that helped me understand why he believed in the things he did and why he acted on those beliefs. I saw the love his townspeople had for him and the love of his partner.
Seeing all those moments made a pit form in my stomach, making me start to regret, even if just a little, what I had done. "But Cy, it doesn't change the fact that he did what he did, and he tried to do the same to you," I muttered to myself. Trying not to let these memories get to me, as I forced myself to go back to sleep.
But that didn't last long at all. I was hit hard with one memory that reaffirmed my position regarding Adam. There was a man he met with in person—the same person the phantom echoes had turned into in an attempt to stop me from leaving that first stage in the rift. It was the same man who had been there when my clan was slaughtered, the one who dealt the finishing blow to my mother. Adam had numerous conversations with him and had essentially planned to sell me off to him.
"Lord Enzo is his name," I said to myself as I awoke once more.
Unable to sleep any longer, I got out of bed and left our lodging. Walking through the town at night was a stark contrast to what it had been recently. With everything so quiet, it felt as if my footsteps and thoughts were being announced over a loudspeaker. Letting the moonlight bounce off my skin and the cool breeze brush past me, I made my way to the outskirts of town once again. I observed the place where I had battled Adam. I revisited the spot where I had nearly lost my life against the queen of the aurora moths. Lastly, I gazed upon the rift, understanding just how far I had come—how much I had pushed myself just to be standing here at this moment. But it still wasn't enough. Not even close. Not if I wanted to defeat that man one day.
Lost in thought as I stared at the rift, I completely lost track of time until I heard gentle footsteps approaching from behind.
"Couldn't sleep?" my father's soft, smooth voice asked as he neared.
"No. The memories of Adam started flooding in. It was a lot all at once, and they zipped past me too fast."
"What did you see?"
"Everything. I understand now why the people of this town felt the way they did. I understand why you were more than patient with him. But my opinion of him and what he did recently hasn't changed. Especially after finding out that he worked with the man who killed everyone that day."
"What do you mean? He worked with them? There's no way he would have done that. After fighting Kael, there was an implication that Adam was unaware of what was going on behind the scenes."
"Yeah, but the man he was buying the batteries from is the same man who was there that day. I couldn't forget his appearance even if I wanted to, and now I know his name as well. He was going to trade me to him as part of some business deal."
"What's his name?"
"He goes by Lord Enzo."
"That's the same name Kael told me during our fight. Apparently, he knows where your uncle is."
"So what do you want to do, Dad? We know where he is. Why not take back what's rightfully ours?"
"Our first priority is to get you out of here safely, regroup, and gather more information. If this man is part of the Lux Tenebris, there's a good chance he's of the Empyrean stage or higher. I'm not putting you in a situation like that, and there's a high chance he isn't alone. The situation with Adam was already too much for you to endure. You haven't even been a Stabound for that long yet. Besides, you're the last of us. We can't let you rush into something you can't handle yet."
Hearing my father's response angered me—not because I felt like I was being suppressed or coddled, but because I knew he was right. I knew I was nowhere near the level of my enemy. I knew the best course of action was to leave and seek safety. But it hurt to know exactly who the target of my rage should be, exactly where he was, and still not be allowed to act on it.
"We will fix all that has been done to us, I promise. But we have to be patient," my father said, wrapping an arm around me in an embrace.
"I know," I responded. After a long pause, I asked, "So when do we leave tomorrow?"
"First thing in the morning. Make sure you're prepared."
"Okay."
"Don't stay up too late. I'll see you later—I have a few things I need to get ready before we embark," he said as he began heading back toward town.
I sat by the rift for a while, collecting my thoughts and working on absorbing cosmic energy from the atmosphere to refill my core. Once it was finally full, I felt stronger and more capable than before. Even though my core was still in its embryonic stage, its capacity now surpassed Adam's and was comparable to that of the man who bore the Iron Warden constellation. With this, I knew for sure that I could pass the last part of the resonance trial and unlock the other aspects of my first rune.
Wasting no time, I rushed back to our quarters and locked the doors. I didn't want to be disturbed or exposed. Entering deep meditation, I astral projected out of my body and into my nexus.
The moment I entered the vast expanse, I was instantly greeted by a familiar presence.
"Hey, Dox. Long time no see."
"Indeed, it has been some time. I see a lot has changed since we last met."
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. But hey, I just wanted to let you know I was able to handle the batteries fine."
"I know. Thanks to the astral relic you obtained, the probability of success drastically increased due to its passive abilities. But I assume you are here to finish the trial."
"Yes," I responded. Then, in the blink of an eye, Dox and I were at the stellar pathway.
"Since when could you just blink me over like that?"
"I've always been able to. I just allowed you to float before since it was your first few times in the nexus. Now, would you do the honors?" Dox gestured toward the node beneath my first rune.
Just like before, I imbued cosmic energy into the rune, causing it to expand. With the rune's expansion, the nodes beneath became visible. Placing my hand on the faintly glowing one, I channeled cosmic energy again, sending me into the pool of reflection once more.
"Are you ready?" Dox asked.
"Yes. I'm ready to move on, finally."
Dox activated the trial, and the stardust beneath my feet began to take shape, forming my targets once again. As the first target solidified, I saw it glow bright magenta, signaling my progress.
"Let's get this over with," I muttered, channeling cosmic energy into my rune.
I visualized my gravity field expanding as I poured energy into my tattoo. The process was much easier now that I had developed the ability to sense for gravitational forces during my time in the rift.
Opening my eyes for a quick glance, I saw that I had already surpassed the second target and was approaching the third. Immediately, I refocused, making one final push to expand my field to the last target, expending a great deal of cosmic energy.
Then, all of a sudden, Dox's voice rang in my ear.
"You have completed the trial, and your resonance has increased."